what about a U pick it garden?

[miron28]

i am really thinking about doing this. so i figure i would ask all the experts on the easy garden, and so far it is sounding like it might just work out. i did find out there is quit a bite of these u-pick it farms about 30 Min's away and there isn't any in my area so i think i might just start small and see what kind of feed back i get and if it goes good expand from there. i have a total of 6 acres so i might just till up 1 acre and plant tomatoes, peppers, beans corn and carrotts see what happens! what is it going to hurt if it doesn't work out i will have lots of vegetables


so please keep posting any ideas or comments you might have... thank you for the info so far

 

[journey11]

i am really thinking about doing this. so i figure i would ask all the experts on the easy garden, and so far it is sounding like it might just work out. i did find out there is quit a bite of these u-pick it farms about 30 Min's away and there isn't any in my area so i think i might just start small and see what kind of feed back i get and if it goes good expand from there. i have a total of 6 acres so i might just till up 1 acre and plant tomatoes, peppers, beans corn and carrotts see what happens! what is it going to hurt if it doesn't work out i will have lots of vegetables


so please keep posting any ideas or comments you might have... thank you for the info so far

And if they don't come to you, maybe you could do the farmer's market (if you have one in your area) or roadside stand. I think it's a great idea either way!

 

[patandchickens]

i think i might just start small and see what kind of feed back i get and if it goes good expand from there. i have a total of 6 acres so i might just till up 1 acre and plant tomatoes, peppers, beans corn and carrotts see what happens! what is it going to hurt if it doesn't work out i will have lots of vegetables

It is worth thinking about different crops' suitability.

I predict that u-pick corn will be a big problem because every schmoe that comes along is going to peel back the husks on every ear they come to, most of which will (statistically speaking) be immature and then nobody else will WANT that ear since it's been 'opened'.

Carrots might be ok if you don't open a particular row til you know they are of sufficient size; otherwise people will pull up a whole lot, decide they're too small, discard them, and you've lost a lot of carrots without any income on them.

Tomatoes sound like a good prospect, everyone knows what a ripe tomato is like Peppers too.

Beans too maybe, although you'd want to go thru every day or two yourself and pick the "missed" ones that would otherwise become overmature and slow down the plant's production.

probably there are other crops that particularly do/don't lend themselves to u-pick, too lazy to think about it just now

Good luck, have fun, make sure your homeowner's insurance and zoning are cool with this first,

Pat

 

[miron28]

[
I predict that u-pick corn will be a big problem because every schmoe that comes along is going to peel back the husks on every ear they come to, most of which will (statistically speaking) be immature and then nobody else will WANT that ear since it's been 'opened'.

Carrots might be ok if you don't open a particular row til you know they are of sufficient size; otherwise people will pull up a whole lot, decide they're too small, discard them, and you've lost a lot of carrots without any income on them.


Pat

i never thought about this.. i guess i would have to rope off these areas until they are ready to be picked and then open them up once i see that they are ready. or i would have to go though and pick them and have them ready for when people want them or just take them to the farmers market. but these things never go as planned

 

[vfem]

If it helps, the U-pick place on HWY 42 doesn't allow everyone to go tromping through and pick their own corn either! They pick and have it available for you right where you park. That also charge an extra $1 per 1/2 dz for you to buy an already husked set! That's what my husband does when I ask him to stop and pick me some up!

 

[curly_kate]

Definitely check with zoning & make sure there aren't any licenses you need. I think there are various rules & regulations when you start selling things, esp. from your home. I think it's an awesome idea, but you definitely don't want to have things rolling along, and then have someone from the county come out & tell you you're in violation of some obscure code. Make sure you know going in what the government is going to want from you. Might be good to talk to other u-pick farmers in your area - get the voice of experience.

If you decide to make the leap, I'll be very curious to see how it goes. It's something I'd LOVE to do one day.

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

I think I agree with Steve. Not only how many baskets of food would go unpaid for but I would worry about the potential for unsavory people scoping things out and coming back to carry away things that aren't bolted down.

I would love to do a u-pick it but I would be afraid of being stolen blind.

 

[digitS']

Don't be deterred by anything if you want to do this, Miron. Here's your state's small farm marketing help: North Carolina, Growing Small Farms

Many states have a bundle of Right to Farm laws and once you start selling produce and accounting for that income on Form F on your IRS 1040, you can benefit from those laws. I have a copy of Washington State's "Green Book." Here's something that keeps the gates open for farm sales directly to the consumer: "Under Washington state law . . ., no city or town can pass or enforce an ordinance prohibiting the sale of farm produce (except dairy, meat, poultry, eel, fish, mollusk, or shellfish) directly from the producer to the end consumer, nor can they require a Vendors License of that producer. . . "

That covers sales at a farm stand, in a farmers' market, or even delivery of produce to customers' homes.

Now, it doesn't mean that farmers can just do anything with their produce without local government oversight and licensing. Actually, you can't really "do" anything with your fruits and veggies like turn them into a pie or a salad unless you get some kind license and all that entails.

Local health departments have an enormous amount of power when it comes to "public safety" so selling produce that is in any way contaminated, will bring that agency crashing down on you.

The last time I talked to one pick-your-own the owners had just moved to a new building 50 yards from their old stand. The BIG problem they were having was with the county road department. It was essentially an problem that the owners wanted their shallow parking lot to be entirely accessible to the road and the county wasn't, at first, willing to grant them that much access. I noticed that they opened and continue to operate with about 100' of access so they got what they wanted.

Steve

 

[miron28]

well the good thing were i live it is a dead end road and there is only one way to get to it. and only one way to get out. and if someone does steal something that i have i look at things this way i guess they really needed it more then i did. and getting mad over something like that is just a waste of time cause it won't fix the problem. the way the land is set up they would have to walk though a gate to get to the garden also would have to walk back though the gate to get to the cars cause the field i have the garden is at the end of a hay field. i guess this will be a leaning experience as i go.

so please keep the comments coming thank you again Steve

 

[old fashioned]

Here in my area the only u-pick farm I know of anymore is for strawberries. They have a stand to sell berries already picked, and the field is across the street. They charge more for the picked berries of course, but I love to go to pick my own. Then I go home to make jam the same day. In another town I lived in years ago, the people would pick the corn while you waited. They did the picking but you knew it was fresh and they didn't let anyone in the field to trample anything.
You could try this method or try the u-pick on a small scale to see how it goes and advertise by craigslist (if you're brave) or signs from main roads. Or you could try both like the strawberry farm. Have some already picked and sell for a higher price (to include cost of your labor) and boxes/bags available for u-pickers. To make it safer for you and your property and for the customer is to only let them in the field with an escort-yourself or hubby to supervise or "help" them pick. Decide how you plan to charge for stuff-by the bag/box, by the pound, price for each...if by the pound you will need a quality scale.
Personally, I too would be worried about strangers trampling the goods or indiscriminate pickers if you just opened your gates and let everyone in. But then you probably wouldn't have a rush of hundreds of people at one time atleast for the first year or two.
If it was me, I'd rather just have a produce stand of already picked veggies. But only have a few available at a time so the stuff doesn't go bad before it's sold. Possibly selling stuff by the box (aimed toward canners/preserving) and having maybe only one box of each vegetable already picked. When that sold, pick another box. Whatever didn't sell that day would be marked down the next day.
Whatever you decide, if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, you could always change it, be flexible, give it a go, see how it goes and have fun and maybe even make a few bucks. Best of luck to ya.